In keeping with the Seven Marks of a Vital Congregation, this sermon and study series reveals how God makes heroes out of the most unlikely candidates. 

Jacob was a homeless grifter, Moses a murderer with a stammer, Ehud a disabled loner, Yael a foreigner, Ruth a widow and a foreigner, David an impulsive teen. But each of them also possessed gifts that had otherwise gone unnoticed. A surprise encounter with divine grace brought these hidden talents to light; and with a life transformed, each played an improbable role in salvation history.

As a literary motif, the rise of an unlikely hero is called a “great reversal.”  And the theme was popular in literature throughout the ancient Near East. For example, although Isaiah used his talents to preach the word of God, this was not a straightforward path. His protest that he was a man of “unclean lips” suggests that he had not used his gifts wisely before his encounter with grace. After his call, however, he became among the greatest prophets Israel has ever produced.

Divine salvation advances because unlikely characters say yes to grace. 

Join us each Sunday in worship and each Thursday in Bible Study as we let women and men of the Old Testament inspire us to offer our imperfect selves in service to God.